Chipper Jones assumes new role as Braves hitting consultant
(Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves via AP, Pool)ATLANTA โ Hall of Famer Chipper Jones is returning to the Atlanta Braves in a part-time capacity as a hitting consultant. The 48-year-old Jones played his full 19-year career with the Braves. Jones hit .303 during his career and led the league with his .363 mark in 2008. An eight-time All-Star and the 1999 NL MVP, Jones holds most Atlanta franchise hitting records. AdManager Brian Snitkerโs coaching staff including hitting coach Kevin Seitzer and assistant hitting coaches Jose Castro and Bobby Magallanes.
Hank Aaron, baseball's one-time home run king, dies at 86
The Atlanta Braves said Aaron died peacefully in his sleep. (AP Photo/Mike Groll, File)ATLANTA โ His name is all over the baseball record book and, indeed, Hank Aaron could do it all. โItโs just a small thing that can help zillions of people in this country.โThe Atlanta Braves, Aaron's longtime team, said he died in his sleep. Aaron's career total was surpassed by Barry Bonds in 2007 โ though many continued to call the Hammer the true home run king because of allegations that Bonds used performance-enhancing drugs. Six feet tall and listed at 180 pounds during the prime of his career, Aaron was hardly an imposing player physically.
Giannis Antetokounmpo agrees to extension with Bucks
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)MILWAUKEE โ Giannis Antetokounmpo has agreed to a supermax extension with the Milwaukee Bucks that takes the two-time reigning MVP off next summer's free-agent market. โIโm blessed to be a part of the Milwaukee Bucks for the next 5 years,โ Antetokounmpo posted Tuesday on his social media platforms. The Bucks announced later in the day that Antetokounmpo had signed an extension without announcing the terms or length. The 26-year-old Antetokounmpo had until Monday to sign the Bucksโ supermax extension offer. โIโm blessed to be able to be a part of the Milwaukee Bucks for the next 5 years.
LEADING OFF: Garcรญa youngest Yankees postseason starter
Heโll surpass Hall of Famer Whitey Ford, who was nearly 22 when he started Game 4 of the 1950 World Series against the Phillies, as the youngest postseason starter for New York. LONG AND SHORTCarlos Correa and the Houston Astros look to grab a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five Division Series against AL West champion Oakland. The Padres hadn't said whether starters Dinelson Lamet and Mike Clevinger will be healthy enough to crack their NL Division Series roster and pitch against the Dodgers. BRAVE NEW WORLDThe Braves are back in the NL Division Series for a third straight year but havenโt advanced to the NL Championship Series since 2001. Theyโre hoping they can hold off the upstart Marlins, who have never lost a postseason series.
Sayers, Piccolo friendship lives on in 'Brian's Song'
FILE - From left are 1970 file photos showing Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers. โIt just amazes me,โ Joy Piccolo OโConnell said in an interview from her Wisconsin home. You flatter me by giving me this award, but I tell you that I accept it for Brian Piccolo. โฆ I love Brian Piccolo, and Iโd like all of you to love him too. But Joy Piccolo OโConnell, who has remarried, thinks the biggest obstacle to the friendship between Piccolo and Sayers had to more to do with personality than color.
Gale Sayers, Bears Hall of Fame running back, dies at 77
FILE - This is a 1970 file photo showing Chicago Bears football player Gale Sayers. Hall of Famer Gale Sayers, who made his mark as one of the NFLs best all-purpose running backs and was later celebrated for his enduring friendship with a Chicago Bears teammate with cancer, has died. (AP Photo/FIle)CHICAGO โ Gale Sayers, the dazzling and elusive running back who entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame despite the briefest of careers and whose fame extended far beyond the field for decades thanks to a friendship with a dying Chicago Bears teammate, has died. Nicknamed โThe Kansas Cometโ and considered among the best open-field runners the game has ever seen, Sayers died Wednesday, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. โI played football a long time and I never saw a better football player than Gale Sayers,โ said Hall of Fame tight end Mike Ditka, Sayersโ teammate from 1965-66.